Norwalk's population grew a modest 3.2 percent this past decade to 85,603 residents, the slowest growth rate of any major city in Fairfield County, the Census Bureau announced Wednesday.

Norwalk held its place as the sixth largest city in Connecticut, behind Bridgeport, New Haven, Hartford, Stamford and Waterbury. Danbury, the seventh largest city in Connecticut, grew the most in Fairfield County at 8.1 percent.

Fairfield County once again ranks as the largest region in Connecticut with 916,829 residents. However, the county had the lowest growth rate of any region in the state at 3.9 percent. Tolland County had the largest increase in population, growing by 12 percent over the last 10 years.

Norwalk Mayor Richard A. Moccia said he found Danbury's growth rate interesting. He said he was encouraged by the figures, which show that Norwalk is growing.

"That doesn't give much credibility to this argument that people are fleeing the city because of our school system," Moccia said. "Some of the other cities grew a little more (than Norwalk), but we still grew."

The U.S. Census Bureau on Wednesday released more detailed population totals and demographic characteristics to Connecticut's governmental leaders.

Michael Howser, coordinator of the Connecticut State Data Center at the University of Connecticut, said legislators will use the figures for redistricting purposes, a process whereby the leadership in each state redraws the election map to shape the political landscape for the next 10 years.

The figures released Wednesday include summary totals of population, race, Hispanic origin and voting age within the state, Howser said. A much larger data set with complete population totals and geographic characteristics will be released later this summer, he said.

The most recent Census data show Norwalk, a city of mostly white residents (71 percent), with a burgeoning Hispanic community that now makes up 22.2 percent of the population.

The number of white residents in Norwalk decreased 4 percent over the last decade (from 61,339 to 58,826), compared to the rest of the state, which saw a .3 percent drop in its white residency.

Norwalk's black population also dipped 3.75 percent (from 12,663 to 12,187). Stamford was the only other city in Connecticut to see a larger decrease in its black population.

Meanwhile, Norwalk saw its Asian population increase 51.8 percent, the seventh largest increase in the state. The Hispanic population in Norwalk has exploded over the last decade, climbing 60.1 percent, the sixth largest jump in Connecticut.

The increases in the Asian and Hispanic populations mimic a trend experienced across the state this past decade.

The Asian population blossomed in Connecticut with a 64.7 percent increase, second only to Hispanics, who grew by nearly 50 percent.

Norwalk is also experiencing an increase in its adult population, which grew 3.2 percent in the past decade. There are now 66,729 people living in Norwalk who are of legal voting age.

Norwalk seems to have adjusted to this population increase by making more housing units available in the city. The total number of available housing units grew 4.9 percent over the last decade (from 33,753 to 35,415). However, 2,198 of those units remain vacant.

The Census Bureau in January released population and congressional apportionment figures, which show Connecticut's population rose a modest 4.9 percent to about 3,574,097 residents, meaning the state will keep all five of its seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Connecticut will retain its five seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, unlike a decade ago, when the state lost its 6th congressional district due to low population growth compared to other states.